KuCoin became the fourth crypto exchange to leave the Russian Federation in October 2026.
KuCoin announced that it will stop serving users in Russia and Belarus, citing compliance with "applicable legal and regulatory requirements." The site became the fourth major platform to leave the Russian market in October, after Bitget, MEXC and HTX. At the same time, back in August 2023, KuCoin closed operations with Russian banks on the p2p platform.
What will change for customers?
The termination of service will affect all products, services and features of the platform. Users will receive messages with deadlines and instructions for closing positions and withdrawing assets.
How Bitget, MEXC and HTX left On October 16, Bitget included Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in the list of prohibited jurisdictions: from October 18, clients from these countries could not open new positions, until October 21 they were required to close transactions and withdraw funds, after which a forced blocking of accounts began.
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MEXC announced its departure on October 20, citing regulatory compliance. New orders are prohibited from October 24, forced closing of positions - from October 28, withdrawal of funds - until November 4.
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HTX has not released an official statement dated: Russia is included in the list of prohibited jurisdictions through an update to the user agreement. The exchange reserved the right to restrict access and close accounts.
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Thus, in less than two weeks, Russian users lost access to four major platforms.
Why are exchanges leaving: Sanctions, MiCA and the compliance economy.
The exchange does not give a single official reason, citing "regulatory requirements". Experts identify several interrelated factors.
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Sanctions restrictions are key. BestChange Senior Analyst Nikita Zovorev notes: Serving the Russians is becoming too risky because of the threat of secondary sanctions and AML compliance costs.
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Click MiCA.